Concert Review: Zoroaster, August 5, 2009 at Katacombes

As soon as I realized I’d forgotten my earplugs, I knew I’d be leaving last night’s Zoroaster show at Katacombes at least half an hour early. To say that my mistake was tantamount to skydiving without a parachute is an understatement; braving Zoroaster’s sludgy doom apocalypse bare-eared is like shark diving in South Africa with open sores.

The Atlanta band played Montreal last year (read my review here), opening for Amenra, and their slow, impossibly loud stoner dirges immediately impressed me, in the interim between the first notes of their crushingly distorted bass intro and the rupture of my left eardrum.

Headlining last night, the band was able to get deeper into their catalogue, including tracks from 2007’s Dog Star and the recently released Voice of Saturn. And, as seems par for the course, they transformed songs that can, in their recorded versions, sound similar to Black Sabbath on a dying Walkman into a full-out sonic warfare. Drummer Dan Scanlan, who looks remarkably young for his neck tattoos, laid down a brutal, bass drum heavy backbeat despite a leg injury. Bassist Brent Anderson hunched over and swallowed his mic like Cronos devouring his children, and guitarist Will Fiore ensured all his guitar chords evoked the apocalypse echoing in a cave.

Complete with a light show somewhere between a lava lamp and electroshock therapy, Zoroaster turned the air into mud with one of the heaviest l sets I’ve heard since, well, they played Montreal last. Though I left before my ears exploded or time dissolved, I have no doubt the remainder of their set was as astonishingly dense as the first half.

Zoroaster played with Gates of Slumber, an Indianapolis doom band heavy on traditional doom laced with Robert E. Howard’s nightmares. Also playing were Belgium’s Serpent Cult.

Here’s a clip of Zoroaster performing Bullwhip, from their self-titled 2005 demo.

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